Life-preserver and swimming-machine.



No. 885,212; I PATENTED APR. 21

W. H. YOUNG & 0. -B. LYON. LIFE PRESERVER AND SWIMMING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED- NOV; 9

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r1; NORRIS PETERS cm,

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. YOUNG AND OSCAR B. LYON, OF MODESTO, CALIFORNIA.

LIFE-PRESERVER AND SWIMMING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. YoUNe and OSCAR B. LYON, citizens of the United States, residing at Modesto, in the county of Stanislaus and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers and Swimming-Machines;

and we do declare the following to be a full,

life preservers and the like, our object being to produce such a life preserver as may also be used for a swimming machine, either for recreation or in a case of necessity, whereby in cases of accident or ship wreck the survivors may get safely away from the vessel and propel themselves to a place of safety. This obglect we accomplish by means of an air tig t compartment adapted to be strapped to the trunk of a person, said comartment having a keel similar to that of a oat, connected with which is a driving screw propelling mechanism ada ted to be operated by the manual force of t e wearer; also by such other and further construction as will appearby a perusal of the following specifications and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the sev-- eral views.

Figure 1 represents a man in water with our improved device secured to his body. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the device. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a screw propeller driving mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the charactors of reference on the drawings 1 designates a man; 2 designates an air tight compartment ada ted to be secured to the body of the man by means of straps 3. Said compartment 2 is formed with a keel 4 at the lower end of which is j ournaled a shaft 5 having ball bearings 6 suitably inclosed in boxes 7. Said shaft 6 is provided with cranks 8 having handles 9.

Secured to the center of the shaft -5 is a beveled gear 10 which intermeshes with a smaller beveled gear 11 on the end of a shaft 12, said shaft 12 being suitably journaled in the keel 4 and extending to a point near the rear of the member 2 where it is journaledin a hanger 13, there being a screw pro eller 14 secured to the outer end of said sha t 12.

In 0 eration the operator straps the device to his body as shown in Fig. 1, and when in the water he rasps the handles 9 and turns the cranks 8, t us revolving the gear 10 which intermeshing with the smaller gear 11 drives the shaft 12 and incidentally the propeller 14 in a rapid manner, thus propelling the operator through the water, he being held on the surface by means of the air tight receptacle 2. v I

If desired the receptacle 2 may be filled with compressed air and provided with a hose 15 having a check valve 16 whereby the operator may supply himself with air when going through breakers or the like.

If desired .the receptacle 2 may be made into several separate chambers so that if one becomes punctured the remainder will still be operative. Also the receptacle 2 may be provided with a front guard member 17 and a rear guard member 18 to protect the operators body from any interference with objects or the running mechanism.

Thus it will be seen that we have produced a device which is admirable as a life preserver, since it permits the wearer to propel himself through the water away from danger such as the suction caused bythe sinking of a vessel or other similar dangers. Also the device may be used simply as a recreation Having thus described our invention, What In testimony whereof We afh'x our signa- We claim as new and deslre to secure by Let- 1 tures 1n presence of two witnesses. ters Patent 1s:

WILLIAM H, YOUNG. An a1r tlght receptacle a narrow doWn- 7 5 Wardly depending keel thereon, a shaft dis- ObGAR L1 posed in said keel, a propeller secured on said Witnesses: shaft and spaced apart from said receptacle PERCY S. VVEBsTER,

1 below the same, as shown and described. FRANK H. CARTER. 

